Happy Halloween!

So it's my favourite holiday of the year, Halloween! But like most holidays, there's a lot of hype and build-up and anticipation, and when the day actually comes, it's anti-climatic. Take New Year's Eve for example - it's like everyone has to find THE THING to do. Last year, my plan to stay in and eat some butter chicken was all I wanted to get up to and it was wonderful! For Halloween, it's all about which party you're gonna go to or what costume you're gonna wear. I think about costumes all year long and this year was no different. But when the party weekend rolls around, is there even anything to do, or anyone to do it with?

Thankfully this year, a couple of friends and I managed to make a night out of it! Alexis and I dressed as mimes and went around town annoying everyone, with our friend Jill who was there as R2D2. We didn't go to a big party, rather, we just went out for drinks down in Gastown. First we hit up Guilt & Co. and after a few hours moved across the street to Diamond. We tried to get into Bao Bei and The London Pub after that, but both were busy or had cover, so we cabbed over to the gay district and got into 1181. There was no crazy dancing on tables, though we were piss drunk at this point. The evening culminated like it normally does - with a breakfast plate at the 24 hour Denny's restaurant. Trick or treat indeed!

But I've been "celebrating" Halloween well before last night came about. I've been putting together a playlist of songs that I think would be great if someone were to have a Halloween party. In fact, I'm thinking next year, I should have one! So, I best start planning now! The last time I had one was several years ago. But hopefully with your help and suggestions, I can make it one to remember! Let's start with the music! There's the usual tracks that you just gotta play: Thriller, Ghostbusters, Monster Mash. But are there any newer ones or ones that people may not think of at Halloween time but would fit the theme perfectly? Here's a few I'm making note of:

Lady Gaga's "Monster" - She sings about a guy eating her heart and her brains! It's a fun dance beat, and the chorus centers around the word Monster, so it's a perfect song at Halloween, yes?




The Cranberries' "Zombie" - Speaking of those who eat brains, this grunge era song is not exactly about zombies in the true sense of the word, but I figure it can pass. Ok so it's a song about war, but war is scary.



Fefe Dobson's "Ghost" - A song about ghosts! Fun and dancey, and hey it's Canadian, so here's the CanCon!



Bow Wow Wow's "I Want Candy" - Of course I need to include a song about candy. It'd be easy to go down the route of other candy/sugar/sweet themed songs too, but I think that would be too much like walking into Dylan's Candy Bar in New York.



So those are just some ideas, but yes if you have suggestions, please do send them in!

I'm also looking for some fun Halloween-esque movie suggestions, but I don't necessarily want the scary horror flicks. Instead, I prefer films along these lines:

Clue - One of my favourite childhood movies turned out to be the perfect comedy to watch annually at Halloween! Based on the board game, this murder mystery farce still makes me laugh even today!




Beetlejuice - Believe it or not, I never saw Beetlejuice until this last week! Winona Ryder is awesome in it, and I fully appreciated the two musical numbers that feature in it, including this famous one where a dinner party gets possessed by some dancing spirits:



Little Shop of Horrors - Speaking of musical numbers! Yeah, this twisted musical is a bit more fun to watch in my opinion than that other Halloween musical (Rocky Horror). I just like the songs here a lot more than I like doing the Time Warp, know what I mean? Why don't they have midnight showings of THIS?



The Witches of Eastwick - Cher, Susan Sarandon, and Michelle Pfeiffer as witches? How can you not want to watch this every October? At the very least, you should watch this famous insult Cher hurls at Jack Nicholson and which I plan to use every time I want to end a bad date:



Death Becomes Her - Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn as two women who would do anything to defy the aging process and become immortal? Brilliance. This scene alone inspires me to re-enact it every morning when I look in the mirror:



What other movies would you suggest for me?

Hope everyone had a good weekend and a safe fun Halloween on Monday!

A Letter to The Guy...

Love,
Me.

I'm on a Bad Dating Spree!

So it's the time of year here where the leaves are falling and I have to rake them up every other day, and the sound of firecrackers own the night. Today it rained profusely, shepherding with it some winter chill. This is in contrast to the past few days where the sun was shining and the evening air was crisp with excitement.

Excitement, because I had dates lined up here, there, everywhere! Okay, well mainly at Starbucks.

I've actually been on several Starbucks-type dates recently. Trying to get out there, meet some people even though online I have zero interest in them. But hey, you never know who you might meet right?



First there was the 40-something year old Italian guy who lives with his sister and just came out of the closet a whopping 1 and a half years ago! Yay! He's never been with another guy before, because he spent his 40-something years on this planet denying his feelings and living a lie. Somebody sign me up for this one! He was nice enough, but I really don't need a fixer-upper project right now. I'm my own fixer-upper project! So, we went out to the bar one evening, and we might continue to keep in touch because he's a nice guy and he offered to teach me how to cook some authentic Italian, but I'm not attracted to him so it isn't gonna happen.

Then there was a guy who looked like an aging lesbian. There's nothing wrong with lesbians, I'm just not attracted to them. He had a grey-haired mullet. Enough said.

There are some people whom I would love to meet, judging from their photos, and who have reciprocated that they want to meet me as well. So we exchange text messages, and I eventually broach the topic of *GASP* ---- wait for it ---- MEETING IN REAL LIFE.

Hello? Hello? Where did you go?

*click*

It's like they've hung up the proverbial phone. Have we lost our cosmic connection the moment I want to actually meet? Bugger. No, actually, not bugger. FUCK YOU. FUCK YOU ALL YOU FUCKING FLAKES. There, that's better.

Then there was the self-proclaimed "Daddy" type I met the other night. See, I knew he was "older" and I still went for it, cause you know what, YOU NEVER FUCKING KNOW.
You really never fucking know, because when we met and chatted and had Starbucks, it turns out he wasn't JUST the "Daddy" type, oh no dear reader.... it turned out that he was also the "Grand-Daddy" type too! Yep, he had a grandson! Yep, he had a family in his past life! You know, probably like a few decades ago when I was being birthed!

So anyway, that didn't work out. But, he was an interesting fella. He collected ancient Chinese maps as well as porcelain. He owns a farm in TUSCANY, used to collect bird nests, and all of this was intriguing to me, but just not intriguing enough to want to carry on with him. Maybe we'll keep in touch? He said he'd be interested in attending estate sales with me, though he relies on agents and collectors to help him amass his collection. Oh, the life of the wealthy! What to do, what to collect!

Last night I met up with an Irishman. The Irishman was a red-head and worked at Home Depot and he was nice enough, but I just didn't feel a connection or attraction or anything.

I'll be keeping you all posted on my future (bad) dates that I'm sure are coming! Maybe one of those FUCKING FLAKES will get back to me and we'll hit it off, or maybe they'll be as lame as they already have been!

Until next time, happy dating to anyone out there going through the same ordeal!

Been Feeling So Fly Since You've Been Gone...

So, I've heard from The Guy twice this past week.

He texted me last Sunday morning with a "Good morning. How are you doing?"

I replied with, "Morning. I'm good. U?"

He wrote back, "Doing well."

I didn't continue the conversation because I really didn't care to. If he wanted to, he should have. Otherwise, I just left it at that.

-----

Cut to this past Thursday when I was at the symphony enjoying a Russian orchestra, when I feel my phone buzz in my pocket. Who is texting me? It was The Guy.

He had written, "Just thinking about you. How are you doing?"

I wrote, "Hi I'm at the symphony right now. I am wonderful, hope you are too."

And that was it for that!

I do feel like a load off my shoulders since I am no longer pining for him. It took long enough for me to open my eyes, I suppose. I care about him, sure, but he's got a boyfriend now and so it's not my job anymore to cater to his every whim. I'm giving him back what he gave me the past 4 years: The Bare Minimum.

Brand New Woo? I'm like a Brand New Bitch!

Movies: Drive

I haven't had much to say lately! How are all of you?

I watched DRIVE the other night with Iris, and it was unexpectedly intense and violent. I guess because I didn't know what the movie was going to be about! Whoops!



So, be warned, it can be graphic and gory at times. The best part of the movie though, was the soundtrack! Totally 80s inspired, and I couldn't wait to get the soundtrack!

Here's one song, for example:

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to a Sondheim Show

I've never been a huge fan of Sondheim. Most times, I don't get it. I don't see the genius or brilliance. However, tonight Emily and I chose to go watch a local production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, a musical comedy which we found out to our dismay was written by Sondheim.



Cut to us at the end of the evening, thoroughly going over the production and how much FUN we had at it! The songs were funny and the story was fun. It was silly over the top farce, for sure, but we had a fantastic time! Who knew!?

It's playing at the Jericho Arts Centre until Oct 23, so check it out! You can get tickets here.

Vancouver Sunset

Captured tonight at English Bay around 6:00pm. The days, they're getting shorter.

The New BC Place Roof

I finally got a chance to go check out the new BC Place roof, which they've been working on the past year or so. The other night, Iris and I headed out for a Whitecaps game (soccer) but really we just wanted to hang out and see each other. I also wanted to see the inside of the stadium and the new open-air roof. There's a fancy new HD jumbotron in the middle too, which had fantastic quality. Here are some photos!

iphoned.

I just spent most of the day today updating my iPhone w/ the new operating system released today. Well, it took forever, but I finally have it and am excited to use the new iMessage system and iCloud.

As well, I'm all over this app called MagicJack, which allows for free calls to Canada and the USA, from anywhere in the world, using your wifi or data, not your minutes!

My Super Sunday!

So it's a long weekend here in Canada. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Sundays are usually a write-off for me. I'm either hungover or just bored at home watching movies. Today was full of activity, however!

I started it off with a meetup with a group of bikers! Wait, it's not what you think. Not really... So yesterday I met up with that 69 year old fella, and we chatted and got caught up. He had invited me out for coffee for Sunday, to this gathering that takes place every week. Apparently, this group of gay bikers get together and shoot the breeze over some java and I was being invited too! I was flattered and petrified, because I'm pretty shy normally. I was on the fence about going but thought, OH stop living your life based on fear! So I went.



I arrived at the Laughing Bean cafe, which is over by Nanaimo and Hastings Street. It's got a rainbow flag sticker on the door, so that made me feel welcome. This little neighbourhood out there seems to be quite up and coming from the looks of things! A lot of gay-friendly stores, hipsters roaming the streets, and just lots of folks milling about! Who knew? Is Nanaimo and Hastings the new Mount Pleasant (aka Main and Broadway)?

So I get to the coffee shop and I see about 8 biker guys sitting out on the patio and they're all in their leather gear and they all look intimidating cause they are BIKERS. So, I see my friend, but I'm hoping he will see me, but he's 69 so perhaps his eyesight isn't that grand. He doesn't see me. I feel a bit hopeless. Like the boy in high school who didn't know where to sit in the cafeteria, so he ends up sitting outside by his locker instead. Which is basically what I did. I ordered up a green tea and sat inside at a table by myself, trying to work up the nerve to go over and say hello.

Finally, I did. Half of the group were up and leaving already, so I greeted my friend and sat with him and met a couple of the other guys, who were all friendly and nice. I may head back again next week now that I've shown my face there. We'll see! Do something every day that scares you, right? Isn't that what they say?

So afterwards, I met up with Alexis for brunch a few blocks away at the Red Wagon!



Yes, what you're seeing there is a stack of pancakes with pulled pork in between them. I didn't have that, but it looked to be a popular dish. Instead, Alexis dined on the Croque Madame and I had a goat cheese omelette. Both of which were magical in that diner kind of way! It was total hipster-ville in there, and there was a line up, so if you plan to go, get there early or plan to wait. It was fun, and I can't wait to go back!! There's a few other places on that strip of East Hastings that I want to check out as well, including the Roundel Cafe and Campagnolo Roma!

After a brief stop at home, I ended up heading out again for a coffee date with an Italian guy. Mr Italian was nice enough, but not someone I would date. I think at best, we'd be friends. He's going to teach me how to cook some authentic Italian, which I am excited about! Anyhow, now I'm off for a family dinner to celebrate Thanksgiving. Hope you're having a wonderful weekend as well!!

Mother Dearest

So this morning I had coffee with a leather guy who lives nearby. He shares my fetish for men in boots, and we'd met before at Folsom in San Francisco a year ago. Turns out he lives five blocks away, so we decided to have a Saturday morning coffee together and catch up. He's 69 years old and lives with his mother, who is 89.

Of course I immediately flashed forward to my own life and saw myself sitting in front of me. Was this going to be me? He likes to travel to all these leather events and take photographs, and that was enough for him to be content. "I'm not a very sexual person," he told me.

I am feeling content these days, but at the same time I do maintain that I probably won't meet anyone to share my life with. I don't know why it is I feel that way, but I just do. I'm glad to be over The Guy, and I am going on dates more and more these days, but I don't know - there's a lot of shit out there, if you know what I mean.

Anyhow, bored at home, I decided to look up some garage sale/estate sale listings. I found two that were going on in the afternoon so I went and checked them out. I came away empty handed, but the second house I went to belonged to an older French gay couple and they were very nice and one of the guys told me how he had just put his mom into a home and sold all her stuff weeks before. I'm sad I missed out on some good finds, but also sad about thinking of this woman being put into a home. I guess it was for the better though.

Through my work at United Way, I've learned about seniors and how there are many of them who are living alone and feeling isolated and depressed and suffering health issues because of it. This of course makes me think of my own mother, whom I guess is relatively young at 77 years old, and is out and about with her friends most days. Still, I feel guilty and a nagging obligation to stay here and keep her company.

I guess for now, I have my dates, random hook ups, friends, and garage sales to keep me occupied.

OUTRAGEOUS!!!

OMG, just read over on New Planet that there may be a live action movie of JEM and the Holograms coming!!! That would be sooooo truly outrageous!!



I'm excited enough as it is to find out that the entire series will finally get a DVD release in a week's time!!! WOW!!!

It's about time that a whole new generation of kids got a bit of Jem in their life!!!

Firemen, Happiness, and Carol Channing

So work has me busy with doing public speaking all over the place. Last week I found myself at various government agencies talking to all of them about the generosity of donating to charity. Then one day I found myself in front of a group of firemen. Gulp! They were nice enough, but still, I felt like the nerdy gay kid in front of all the hot jocks. It was great experience though, and they were very kind afterwards, thanking me for coming in to do my speech, etc. I was hoping for at least one female firefighter there, so I could at least zone in on her but nope, it was a room full of testosterone, and me!

Saturday night, Alexis and I went to a party but before that we started the evening with perogies and several rum and cokes at her place. After a week of doing public speaking, I was ready for a drink!! We then met up with Lukasz at his place and had more drinks, before heading off to the party where we both polished off two bottles of red wine between us. Seriously, I'm not an alcoholic!

That said, though - I am obsessed with the Rihanna song, Cheers (Drink to That), which is of course a song all about drinking!!!



I'm just feeling really happy these days. It's so weird. It's nice!

So the barbecue. I hummed and hawed all day about it. Should I go? I wanted to go just because I wanted The Guy to SEE how happy I was without him. And yeah, it would have been nice to see him too. But, it was far out in the suburbs, and I was fighting off a bug, and I was totally hungover. So, in the end, I realized that going to show off how happy I was is not a good enough reason to go.

Lukasz said it best: the fact that I didn't need to go flaunt my happiness means I truly really am happy! Yay!!

I didn't want to disappoint The Guy as he kept telling me how much he was looking forward to seeing me. But you know what? Sorry but life is disappointing, and how much has he disappointed me over the past few years? Right!?!

Anyway, Alexis and I ended up going to a film at the Film Festival. Carol Channing - Larger Than Life, a biopic on the legendary star. It was a fascinating film about her life and her personality. It was inspiring to see people like her living her dreams and being a genuinely nice person where people have nothing bad to say about her. We both aspired for that!

And yes, she is totally ridiculous and crazy and we loved every moment!!!

Jam tomorrow, jam yesterday, but never ever Jam today!!!

Regrets Collect Like Old Friends...

...Here to relive your darkest moments...
------

What a beautiful sentiment/line.

It's the new song from Florence and the Machine and I can't wait for the new album!